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Journalism of Courage
I am one among the 170 million futebol coaches they speak about and all of us were thrilled when our golden boy with diamond feet, Ronaldo, deftly pushed the ball past the German goal keeper Oliver Kahn for the second time. We Brazilians are proud that we are the winners of the most valued cup on the planet.
What excited us most of all was that Brazil won when it had almost been written off from the football world by its critics — and even by the 170 million coaches like me! Everyone was talking of Argentina, France and England as the favourites. But, finally, the verde amarelo (green and yellow) triumphed.
It’s difficult to describe the emotion in Brazil, although the local newspapers have tried their best to do so. But perhaps the mood can be gauged by the way M. Zagallo, the coach of the 1998 team which had lost the finals to France, cried over TV Globe while giving the running commentary of the game. He said, with tears flowing down his face, ‘‘I am very happy because verde e amarelo esto brilhando de novo (the green and yellow are shining again). It was truly fitting that the ‘king of football’ Pele was there during the ceremony, to embrace all the players.
Pele, of course, is considered the greatest player of all time, and he was happy that the man who had admired him so much, Ronaldo, has now equalled his record of 12 goals, with this World Cup. Ronaldo was severely criticised for the Brazilian defeat in 1998 and was out of action with a serious leg injury for a long time. Yet he fought and triumphed over his adversity.
This triumph should be viewed against the background of the appalling conditions under which Brazilian football is being administered. All the ex-players and coaches of the Brazilian team are unanimous in saying that the Brazilian victory is a victory of the Brazilian people and the credit for it should go solely to the players and coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari. It’s certainly no thanks to the corrupt lot who constitute the game’s management.
The team did not receive any support from the Brazilian government and President Fernando Henrique Cardoso had criticised it for its poor performance during the elimination rounds. Today, the president is of course full of praise for the team, quoting their performance as a model to be followed in order to overcome the financial problems the country is facing. He said that he, like all Brazilians, is proud and excited with this historic victory. It was to this presidential statement that Rivaldo — who had scored five goals in this World Cup —retorted, ‘‘When we needed his support he put us under greater pressure and now it is easy to congratulate us after the victory in Japan.’’
The 2006 World Cup will be held in Germany and we will all be shouting from the sidelines, ‘‘Hexacampeno!’’ (six-time winner).
